Seventeen-year-old Friday Brown has spent all her life travelling from town to town, brought up on stories of the family curse. When her mother dies, Friday runs away from home, determined to continue the lifestyle her mother showed her. But in the city she meets a mute boy who shows her families are not always what you’re born with.

I honestly don’t know why more people aren’t talking about Vikki Wakefield; her writing is just a pleasure to read. Friday Brown feels like a quiet sort of tale, intimate in its telling but has big themes. Friday runs away from home after her mother’s death and ends up living in a squat. She’s set apart from the other kids who have fled unhappy homes where Friday left by choice; turned away money that would have set her on the right path.

It’s kind of refreshing for a young adult book to stay away from romantic love. It’s not that Friday doesn’t express any interest in dating, it’s just not a big part of her life. She’s still finding out who she is. Instead, Friday befriends Silence, a boy who doesn’t speak. Their bond is that of siblings within a wider family, one she doesn’t always feel she fits into.

The story goes from the big city out into Australia’s outback. Friday might never be street smart but she had grown up on the road with her mother. There’s little bits of everyday drama, details of things as simple as making dinner when you have little money to spare as well as moments of heartbreaking tragedy. I urge you to read it.